Kobe Bryant has been forced to wear a face mask since breaking his nose during the All-Star Game. Photo: Reuters

The Lakers have been involved in a lot of trade rumors this season.

They are reportedly looking for help at point guard, and have even been rumored to have interest in trading Paul Gasol, one of their biggest stars.

Los Angeles is looking to upgrade the pieces they have around Kobe Bryant.

If the Lakers can't make a significant move to upgrade the rest of their roster, would they ever consider trading Bryant?

Ric Bucher of ESPN seems to think so.

The NBA reporter said on Tuesday morning that the Lakers should consider trading the future Hall of Famer.

Such a notion seems almost unfathomable to many Lakers fans.

Bryant is one of the greatest players in the franchise's history, and is beloved by the Laker faithful. He has scored the most points in the team's illustrious history and has won five titles since being drafted in 1996.

The All-Star was last involved in serious trade talks in the 2007-2008 NBA Season. Rumors circulated about Bryant being moved to the Bulls for a package that would have included Joakim Noah, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng, among others.

Bryant asked for a trade at the time, but soon backed off his demands.

There was also talk of moving Bryant before the Lakers traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Heat in 2004.

Bucher says the relationship between Bryant and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak is not the best. Moving Bryant would help the GM complete his goal of changing the franchise.

It's extremely unlikely that the Lakers would ever dangle the guard, as Bucher suggested. Bryant is leading the NBA in scoring at 28.9 points per game and has been one of the best players in the league all season.

The Lakers are currently in first place in the Pacific Division and have the third best record in the Western Conference at 23-14.

Here is the video of Bucher suggest the Lakers should explore trading Bryant: